Friday, December 20, 2013

Chatting with a few friends they expressed
all the activities they had to cram into a short amount of time in order to be
ready for Christmas.The to-do list
seems to get longer each year, leaving hardly any room for rest they confessed.

Later in the week while listening to a radio
broadcast, I was reminded of how easily Christians get caught up in the
festivities, so much so that we have missed Christmas.What's on your Christmas bucket list?Those who celebrate Christmas usually have a
run-down of things they want to do for the holidays.Maybe your list looks similar to this:

By the time the list is finished, who has
energy to enjoy the holidays?There’s no
“God rest ye merry gentlemen” around my house with so much to accomplish.

Have all these things caused us to miss the
true meaning of Christmas?We spend more
time making sure we get the right gift and leave no time for witnessing about
the One who is Christ-mas (Christ the Messiah).Where Did the Day Go?It’s easy to get caught up in pleasing others
or doing things to ease our conscience at this time of year.Perhaps you go out of your way to do
those special things for people and they don’t even notice it.Or maybe you’re a person who invites a lot of
people over for the holiday by throwing an enormous party, only to have an
emotional let-down after it ends.All
your hard work wasn’t appreciated, people came, ate and went home leaving you
with the mess as well.

Christmas for you certainly wasn’t “tidings
of great joy,” but work, work and more work leaving little time for fellowship
or relaxation.There you were, a by-stander watching
Christmas slip away causing you to miss what was right under your nose.

Let me share something with you.Forget brow beating yourself, people have
been missing the real Christmas as far back as the very first one.How to Miss Christmas, Big Time

I have to admit that I have been guilty of
activity overload.Many years ago my
schedule was so full there wasn’t any room left for Christmas.

As soon as my teaching resumed each September
we put up the outside lights. In October we took a 4 day mini vacation to the
Adirondacks in New York over Columbus weekend. Baking began and inside the house
decorating was next, because I decorated everything! All shopping had to be completed
by Veteran’s Day (November 11th), especially things that needed to be shipped anywhere. Birthdays were abundant from that
time up until and including Christmas day.

Weekly choir rehearsal, along with the cantata
play practice were taking place also.Teach during the day, college classes 2 times a week for another degree,
parties, social events and finally the end of the activities came on December
26th with a big family gathering at our house.We maintained this ridiculous schedule for
years until we realized we had been missing Christmas doing Christian things.

I have watched a lot of people doing
religious activities like I was in preparation for the year end celebrations.Were they doing what I did? Are they missing
out on the meaning of the holiday?Do
any of the things really make a difference in the scheme of life?Have we become like the religious leaders in
Jesus’ time and neglected what God is doing around us? These are the things I have begun to question in my own life.

Millions of people will assemble in churches
expecting to hear a Christmas message.What will they receive?Will the
focus be on us or on pointing the lost toward God in hopes that they may come
to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus?

Failing to understand that Christmas is about
relationship to God means we have missed Christmas, and if we do that, we have
missed Christ.Those Who Missed Out

The Bible gives us a record of events that
took place leading up to and including the Birth of Jesus.Matthew’s account (chapter 2:4-6) verifies that Joseph and Mary had made the long trip back to his
homeland of Bethlehem to fulfill the census ordered by the King.

It’s hard to comprehend that there was a time
that the scriptures were not available to all people, but that was the case.Throughout time there have been religious
leaders, history scholars, interpreters of scriptures and transcribers
(linguists) of the Holy scrolls who copied the Word of God for others to
read.These men were summoned by Herod
for a meeting, because word had gotten back to him about a new king, a Messiah
that was born.Oh no, was he going to be
replaced?

Quickly they searched the scriptures and
found the prophecy of the prophet Micah (5:2).It read that a new king would be born in Bethlehem indeed.The kicker here is that once they had this
information, none of them walked the measly three miles from Jerusalem to
Bethlehem to check out if the prophecy had come true.

If anyone shouldn’t have missed Christmas it
was these “religious” men.After all,
they already believed the prophet and the scriptures. Besides the shepherds and perhaps some
of the people traveling with them, there is no evidence that anyone else came
to worship the King Jesus.Here they
believed God, but didn’t follow after Him.What God was fulfilling in their life time didn’t really concern them.Is there another?

King Herod the Great

How is it possible for Herod to inquire about
the Messiah, get his answer, believe there was a new born King and never find a
way to go and actually go see Him?

Matthew 2:7-9 explains what Herod did after
he received his traveling visitors known as Wise Men or lesser Kings of other
lands. When these gentlemen arrived at the palace they openly asked Herod where
the King of the Jews was so they could go worship Him. (Reference

)

Herod being a jealous and wicked ruler gave
orders that would prevent anyone else including his family from overthrowing
his throne by having them all murdered.He
went on to declare that all male children under the age of two be killed just to
make sure that no one was left to fill his shoes.Fear and jealousy caused Herod to miss
Christmas.

At the time of his demise another command
was put into action. The unruly ruler was so hated that he ordered that leaders
be gathered together in the city and had them murdered making sure there would
be mourning in the place. Even though it
wasn't for him, it would appear as if it were.Some of us might think a person like this doesn’t deserve Christmas
anyway and got what he had coming to him.

I know it’s hard for us to accept, but Jesus
was born to die, and he came to earth for King Herod as well as the shepherds,
you and me.People Like Us

Streets of Bethlehem

Most of the people who celebrate Christmas
probably fall into this category.I know I
did. We don’t mean for the major event to go unnoticed, but it happens.Somehow we become Christmas Martha’s and need
for it to be called to our attention before we notice what we’re doing.

Ordinary people going about the business of
the day, caring for families, working, attending services and socializing are
distractions that cause us to miss worshipping the KING of Kings.

Let me use the owner or inn caretaker that
the Bible mentions in Luke chapter 2, during the time of the birth of
Jesus.Bethlehem was hopping with
thousands of travelers returning to their homeland to report for a census.The King of Palestine had order it, so no one
was exempt. (Reference

)

With the city being jam packed inn keepers (hotels)
were up to their ears with guests.They
had the responsibility of tending to patrons, their animals, getting rooms
ready, money exchanges, meals, lodging and caring for their own families.

By the time Joseph and Mary arrived the rooms
were simply gone.It is assumed that
Joseph had the money to pay for a room, but it didn’t matter.Money or not, nothing was available.

Taking writer’s liberty I can imagine the
master observed Mary’s condition.Being
a warm night the animals were still out to pasture and having compassion he offered
the empty stable as a last resort.Who
knows, maybe Joseph had to pay for the use of the stall, we don’t know.

What we do know is that the person in charge
didn’t have a clue what was happening out his own door. He was right there in the middle of the
greatest event to have event taken place on earth up to that time. Didn’t he
hear the angels or shepherds?How did he
miss the glowing light from Heaven or angels declaring the arrival of the
baby?If he saw any of this, don’t you
think someone would have mentioned it?

There is nothing in scripture to lead us to
believe this person wasn’t a kind, giving sort.The reality of it all is that he was too busy and involved with “Martha type
things” to notice, and therefore missed the first Christmas.Do you think he ever regretted it?Years later did he sell tickets to see where
the Christ child was born?Back to the Manger

Throughout the entire announcement of the
Messiah’s arrival, the Bible records worship as the main focus. Believers in God
weren’t surprised by this event, they were expecting it.

John the Baptist’s parents Elizabeth and Zacharias
were found worshipping, the angels worshipped when Jesus was born, the
shepherds, Simeon, Anna, Joseph and even Mary worshipped the Lord, rejoicing
and proclaiming baby Immanuel as the One that was prophesied to be the Messiah.
(see Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2)

The desire to worship the KING of the Jews
went on for two years or more until the Wise Men finally found the babe to
offer sacrificial gifts.

It's Time for A New Activities List

In understanding that we have fallen into the
trappings the holiday season brings, what can we do to avoid missing the main
event? How can we have a "Mary" Christmas in a "Martha" world?

First, start worshipping the King of Kings.Make
sure that you have not left out the Christ in Christmas by creating a new list
of things you won’t do this year.Cross
out anything (I mean anything) that will prevent you from worshipping the
Lord.Stop worshipping the activities
instead of the Almighty.Second: Begin by Recognizing Favor

Like Mary the mother of Jesus, begin your
holiday with focusing on the new born KING.Celebrate the gift from God with singing as Mary did, in your home and in
church. (Mary’s song Luke 1:46-55)It’s time to get excited and aware of God’s
favor on your life. Mary praised God for favoring her over all others in
allowing her to give birth to His Son.

“Rejoice, highly favored one, he Lord is with you; blessed are you
among women.” (Luke 1:28 NKJV)

That’s major!Think about it, she was chosen over all humans to carry out the task of
bringing Jesus into the world. (Luke 1:28)Third: Fully Surrender to the Call by Sacrificing Self

When receiving the good news, immediately
Mary fully surrendered her life to her Heavenly Father. She didn’t even
question Him or consider the events that would take place causing her to be an
outcast in her culture and community.She sacrificed her life, dreams and desires willingly and felt blessed
to be used by God.

What are you willing to sacrifice to God as a
thanksgiving offering for favoring you?

Will you respond to the Lord as Mary did
without questioning the assignment that may alter your life forever?“Be it unto me… Let it be according to Your
word.” (from Luke 1:38)

You may not realize it, but all children of
God are a “type” of Mary. God has
chosen, favored you above anyone else for a certain mission that no one else
can do. He has selected and called you out from among the billions of people
ever to have walked this planet to do a special thing for Him.How do I know this?God said that He has good plans for “you.” This must mean something is on His agenda
concerning each of His children.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a (good) future and a hope.”
(Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)Stuffing Christmas in with ThingsWith Christmas right at our backdoor, our
lives may look like those decorative stockings we stuff little gifts into if
we’re not careful.When we concentrate
on all the outward things of Christmas, the true meaning of it gets stuffed in
with all the non-essentials and is only brought out at the end of the activity.

We can miss Christmas by letting the blessing
of the Savior’s birth get packed in with the gifts, decorations, banquets or
hoop-la of the season. Don't let this happen to you.

Make sure all the
preparations don’t keep you from going to church.Join together with fellow believer’s and
welcome friends or neighbors to church as you worship and celebrate the birth
of the Savior. A KING is born, rejoiceCHRIST-mas is here!